The moment Liu Bei crossed Yishui and entered Jizhou, his whereabouts were always under Yuan Tan's gaze. Yuan Tan would receive several reports every day, knowing clearly who Liu Bei had met and where he had been to.

When Yuan Tan learned that Liu Bei had rejected the banquet along the way, he felt something strange. Liu Bei was famous for his greed for enjoyment. When he was fighting for Zhuo County, Liu Bei once robbed his hometown people, but now he is abnormal and he is self-reliant with courtesy, which is somewhat unexpected.

What really made Yuan Tan regret was Qian Zhao. Liu Bei stayed in Guanjin in Anping for a day, asking Qian Zhao to worship his ancestors and make friends, and Qian Zhao attracted his fellow disciples Shi Lu and others to the scene, which was tantamount to digging his corner. Shi Lu and others were not considered heroes, but the influence was very bad. At the beginning, it was a temporary solution to agree to Qian Zhao to Youzhou, but he just wanted to peacefully resolve the dispute in Zhuo County. Gu Quan Qian Zhao's friendship with Liu Bei, but unexpectedly, Qian Zhao actually served Liu Bei wholeheartedly and recommended Shi Lu and others to assist Liu Bei.

Yuan Tan was more wary of Liu Bei. He had a premonition that although he was not the governor of Yanzhou at the beginning, and now Liu Bei is not the Liu Bei he knew at the beginning. Both of them had similar experiences and were captured by Sun Ce, but Liu Bei once served under Sun Ce's command. He had close contact with Sun Ce's training and military use methods, and may have benefited more than him.

What's more, his relationship with Sun Ce is ambiguous and difficult to tell whether it is an enemy or a friend. He led tens of thousands of cavalry to help, who knows who is the formation to help?

Yuan Tan told Guo Tu and Ju Su that Guo Tu and Ju Su had the same feeling, but they were relatively calm. Guo Tu said that Liu Bei was humble, capricious, and good at making false statements, pretending to be a royal family to deceive ignorant commoners and making waves everywhere. Such people were not trustworthy at all. You should use it like Sun Ce and not believe it. Don’t expect to influence him and turn him into your own subordinate.

Such people are heroes. They can never be truly loyal to others. They will only be loyal to themselves. Those who trust them will be betrayed. Gongsun Zan is the best example. You have been a gentleman. It is enough to make such mistakes once. Never repeat the same mistakes.

Yuan Tan was timid and bowed to the teachings.

Ju Su was not Guo Tu, and he could not teach Yuan Tan a lesson like Guo Tu. He in turn comforted Yuan Tan. It was because Liu Bei was profit-oriented and did not speak morals, but things were simple. He used profit to induce him and persecuted him. Why did Liu Bei come? It was because he didn't want to see Sun Ce dominate the world. Taishi Ci had already controlled half of Youzhou. If Liu Bei did not attack, he would sooner or later lose the entire Youzhou and become Sun Ce's captive again.

How did Sun Ce treat Liu Bei at the beginning? The military officials in Yuzhou were engaged in it. Did he pay attention to Liu Bei? Liu Bei later left Sun Ce, which was not so proactive, but rather a helpless move. If Sun Ce dominated the world, Liu Bei would never have any good ending.

Liu Bei led tens of thousands of cavalry to come. Before a single infantry moved, he transferred Guan Yu, the most wary under his command, to take charge of Zhuo County, so he was naturally wary of Jizhou. Both sides were tacit, and solved Sun Ce first and then fight against the male and female in the future. Therefore, cooperation requires cooperation, and prevention is also necessary. The best way to control Liu Bei is to eat and grass. The food and grass of ten thousand cavalry is a big number. He could neither transport it from Youzhou nor raise it on the spot, and could only rely on Jizhou. Controlling the supply of food and grass was to hold Liu Bei's throat, so there was no need to worry that he would suddenly turn against him.

Yuan Tan deeply agrees.

When he learned that Liu Bei was about to arrive, Yuan Tan went out to greet him. For safety reasons, he transferred Zhang He, who had already led the cavalry, back and served as the cavalry of the personal guards. The elliptical soldiers led by Zhang He were personal guards in Yuan Shao's era, and now they have become Yuan Tan's personal guards. However, their official positions are different, and their troops have increased several times. In addition to nearly a thousand elliptical soldiers, there is also the Yi Cong camp composed mainly of Rangers. The total force is nearly 10,000 and fully equipped. They are well-deserved elite troops under Yuan Tan.

Zhang He was also grateful to Yuan Tan for this. When he learned that Yuan Tan wanted to transfer him to his personal guard, he agreed without saying a word, put on armor and held a halberd, and personally guarded him.

Accompanied by Zhang He, Yuan Tan went out of the camp for thirty miles to welcome Liu Bei.

When the two met, they couldn't help but look at each other. After a few years of not seeing each other, the other party had a visible change. Liu Bei became more confident, held his head and chest up, walked with a dragon and tiger steps, and was full of energy. Yuan Tan took a little bit of the vanity of the noble son, and became more introverted.

"Xuande, after leaving Zhuo County, it's been more than a year. Are you safe?"

Facing Yuan Tan who was smiling and greeting, Liu Bei laughed and bowed back. "I still have the same style. I never thought that after the war in Yanzhou, we still have the opportunity to fight side by side. This time we have to fight hard and don't be laughed at by the King of Wu again."

Thinking of the battle in Yanzhou, Yuan Tan couldn't help but smile. He and Liu Bei were both captured by Sun Ce, but the situation was slightly different. He was defeated and fell into a swamp, and was rescued by Sun Ce. However, Liu Bei was attacked by Sun Ce at night and became a prisoner in a daze. He was convinced of his loss, but Liu Bei might not have. He probably always felt that he was not lucky and wanted to avenge his shame.

"I think I am not his opponent in the world of King Wu, but with Xuande's help, I dared to fight him." Yuan Tan smiled and bowed to show his respect. "The victory and defeat are all in Xuande, and the world is also in Xuande."

Ju Su, who was behind him, frowned secretly after hearing this. It was okay for Yuan Tan to keep a low profile, but this was ominous.

Liu Bei heard it, but there was another feeling. After being captured by Sun Ce, he had attacked Yuan Tan on the order of Sun Ce and almost died in Yuan Tan's camp. Yuan Tan's words were a bit ironic. Yuan Tan looked as gentle as jade, and he was polite, but there was a needle hidden inside. Do you still think that you are the noble son of Yuan's family of the fourth generation and the third generation and the third generation of the fourth generation and the third generation have already belonged to Yuan Yao, and your father and son are rebels in the court. If the court had not had enough strength, he would have cut off the coffin and killed the corpse long ago.

"I dare not, and I will accept the orders of the envoys and generals again. I dare not have too many extravagant hopes. I just hope to avenge my previous shame and help me regain my ancestral tomb." Liu Bei bowed and returned the gift with a smile. "I will be satisfied if the envoys can return to their roots in a hundred years."

Seeing the two of them facing each other and their words became sharper and sharper, Ju Su couldn't help but interrupt. "If the two envoys can defeat Sun Ce, whether they are drinking together or fighting on the battlefield in the future, the future will be long. The situation is urgent, so let's talk about the things in front of you first."

Liu Bei turned around and looked at Ju Shu, and bowed with a smile. "Jun Ju, long time no see."

Ju Su endured the unhappiness and bowed back to his favor.

"The two wise men of Julu, Mr. Tian was in charge, and Mr. Ju followed the battle and was defeated. If Mr. Ju assisted in military affairs this time, he would definitely be able to return."

Ju Su's eyes twitched. What does Liu Bei mean? He was provoking in person. Although Guo Tu was not here, these words would sooner or later reach Guo Tu's ears. Guo Tu was originally dissatisfied with the Jizhou clan, but because of the situation, he had to temporarily rest. After hearing Liu Bei's words, it would be strange if he had no objection.

"The envoy is so serious, and he is just a scholar. He is just a scholar to check for the missing. The battle on the battlefield depends on the two envoys and soldiers. Even so, I have to remind the envoys that although you have learned the method of Wu's military training, and have achieved outstanding achievements in Youzhou in recent years, the opponent we meet this time is exactly the elite under the King of Wu, and is definitely not comparable to the Hu people on the grassland, and cannot tolerate any luck. Especially in Gaotang City opposite the river, although Zhu Ran, the guard general, was young, was a confidant around the King of Wu."

Liu Bei nodded awkwardly, and was a little surprised. "Zhu Ran? Is it the son of Zhu Zhi?"

“That’s right.”

"That's great." Liu Bei clapped his hands excitedly. "The river is frozen, and Gaotang is an isolated city. Even if Zhu Ran is talented, he is young after all. The envoy has an army of 200,000. Why not surround Gaotang and capture Zhu Ran alive and take the lead first?"

Yuan Tan was speechless, and gave Ju Su a wink, signaling him to continue saying. Ju Su understood and explained. It was not that they didn't want to surround Gao Tang and captured Zhu Ran alive, but they were really not capable of it. Tian Feng discussed with the Jizhou family that he could recruit 200,000 troops, but 200,000 troops would never be able to reach the position in a few days. The order had been issued for ten days, and the army that arrived at the plains had only more than 50,000 troops. In addition, the main force led by Yuan Tan, the total strength was less than 100,000.

Originally, there were only more than 100,000 people in Gaotang City, and there were 100,000 people. Even if there were only more than 30,000 people in it were enough to conquer, what they did not expect was that just two days ago, Xu Kun went to Gaotang to increase his troops, and there were four thousand people. Zhu Ran was the one who commanded the troops. Now there are 5,000 people in Gaotang City, and all of them are well-trained elites in Jiangdong.

Gaotang was not a county seat, but a Linhe Fortress originally did not even count for a fortress, but just an ordinary county seat. Yuan Xi and Xu Kun confronted each other across the river and occupied the county seat plain. Only then did Gaotang City in Linhe become important. Xu Kuncai spent his time rectifying the city defense and turned Gaotang into a fortress.

Gaotang City is not large in scale. As long as there is enough grain and grass, five thousand soldiers can hold on. Zhu Ran is a young general brought by Sun Ce. He has never had any record before, but there are precedents to follow. Lu Meng and Jiang Qin are the most typical examples. They have all become the new forces of the Jiangdong Army. Jiang Qin has just made contributions in Hongnong, and Lu Meng is in charge of Henan. His command and dispatch are orderly, and he is already a major general. If Zhu Ran is similar to them, this Gaotang City is a real hard bone, and it is not easy to bite it.

Normally, the casualties ratio during the siege is about four to one. Considering the strength of the Jiangdong Army, this ratio should be further expanded, about six to one. In other words, if you attack at any cost and consume the power of the defenders in the city to a position that is not enough to defend the city, Yuan Tan would have to pay at least 20,000 people. What’s even more troublesome is that even if Yuan Tan is willing to pay such a great price, no one dares to guarantee that he can conquer Gaotang City.

Xu Kun increased his troops to Gaotang, and he had to defend Gaotang with one more time. This was beyond everyone's expectations. Even Ju Su did not expect. He thought that Xu Kun would give up Gaotang and retreat to Licheng. After all, that was the real place for military strategists to fight for. Xu Kun's total military force was only about 10,000 people, and investing too much force in Gaotang would inevitably affect the defense of Licheng. Once Licheng is lost, it would be meaningless to defend Gaotang no matter how stable it is.

But Xu Kun did just that. The two armies were most afraid of fighting. Before the two sides fought, Xu Kun took the lead. He chose the most unlikely plan, but successfully disrupted Yuan Tan's plan.

Yuan Tan could not attack Gaotang forcibly, so he could only change his plan and aimed at Licheng. Xu Kun sent Zhu Ran to reinforce Gaotang. Licheng was short of troops and would inevitably transfer reinforcements from other places, such as Shen You's army in Beihai or Ji Ling's army in Rencheng. Large-scale military mobilization takes time and a large amount of food and grass is also necessary, which is a good opportunity for cavalry raids. Therefore, Yuan Tan hoped that Liu Bei could lead the cavalry to break into Qingzhou and rush to reinforce Jiangdong troops in Licheng to prepare for the siege of Licheng.
Chapter completed!